The organist librarian

Got up and went to make tea forgetting about the alarm! Being away so long has it's downside! Lie-in. Compared diaries - still waiting for my phone to come back. To Bloomsbury Baptist to hear Anthony Hammond from Cirencester - good player. Bach, Widor and Calviere. Problem with buses not going further than Tottenham Court Road so got 73 to Oxford Circus and tube. Smoke vespers and All Saints Mass with Martin Plunkett - he's nice. Watched The dresser with Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins - excellent.

Mass and Lauds combined before breakfast. Rain again! Next September it is to be Ampleforth. Returned home from Salisbury via Winchester with a tea stop at Guildford cathedral. 195 miles round trip! We had a most interesting tour of Salisbury cathedral including Magna Carta in the wonderful chapter house and Canon Jeremy Davies joined us and showed us the lovely vestments. We made our little pilgrimage to George Herbert's church St Andrew Bemerton.

Swam 18. We set off for Salisbury and drove via the A3 and M3 and A303 to Salisbury. The speed limit on the motorway was 50 mph and we had one stop so we did well to get there by 2. The Panel of Monastic Musicians is always a pleasure and it was good to see old friends and note that many familiar faces were missing not least Abbot Richard from Roscrea who is on sabbatical. Our room has a lovely view of the cathedral spire so I draw it and also did a drawing of the cathedral font. Retired bishop David Stancliffe gave us two excellent sessions on his online resource on the Sunday gospels with art, music and literature. He wants us to produce our own imaginative linkups. Canon Jeremy Davies retired Precentor spoke on Sarum use and Shakespeare and showed us a DVD of a medieval liturgy staged in the cathedral and Sr Jean asked me to write it up. Martin Foster did an excellent session on choosing Mass settings just what I need. We did 3 new. Mass settings Missa Camino with. Paul Stubbings w...

Saturday another lie-in. Liz resting. To the cathedral and 10 servers at Mass! Met the new intern Francis and new organ scholar Alexander Pott who played Bach at the end. Fr John celebrated. Victoria looked very gray and wet after the vibrant South American colours. Caught up on Downton. Sunday took Blackberry to send off to Manchester - it will not start. Played Adagio from Elgar cello concerto and Andrew Moore's tribute to Dom Gregory Murray and Nobilmente. Fr Herbert was there and 20 there. Chatted to council members and Christmas will be on the 20th a pageant - cannot see they have the people to mount that! Midnight and Christmas day 10 a.m.  and no crib service so that's a relief. Watched Leeds piano competition won by Anna the Russian and Beethoven with Leif Ove Andsnes. Songs of praise with a ghastly fat tenor. Sent email to APT group and Marissa sent group photos. Ben Bloor has been appointed to the Oratory. Liz went to Mass at St Mary's.

Dennis came last night. Had a lie-in. Liz was better. No chance to see the boys as the family went to Norfolk straight from school and I did not get to hear Margaret Phillips play Bach either. Watched Downton and the Naked choir also programme on 20th century romance. Tried to get Outlook email to work and Blackberry is not working. Posted photos to Face Book. 

Sick at breakfast but recovered to do packing. My plan of putting one carryon case into the big one worked well and we were not overwight. Francisco took us to the airport and helped with checkin. Saw doctor when we left hotel and he reminded us to email. On planes Boychoir, Habemus Papam, Max, Required to be normal, Soile Isokoski singing Mozart, Bridge and Franz Reisenstein piano sonatas. Coco before Chanel. 11 hours Quito to Madrid 2 to London 1 hour Guayaqonquil to Quito Wheelchairs throughout - there was farce at Madrid when we went in a lift vehicle but all had to walk to the building to get chairs where there was discussion about who was going where! It was a very long trek to the London plane. At Heathrow 5 we went in the buggy and then were dumped in the luggage hall. After 20 minutes we walked the last bit, met the cab driver and commandeered a chair for the bit to the car park. Cost £60 because of the delay and the parking fee. Home at 8.45. Thursday took Liz to see Dr Ojo...

Sat 17th rest went on hike. We went on panga ride with Grace and in fact saw as much as they did! I did 2 drawings of Pitt Point - lovely morning. We saw sealions, pelicans, crabs, sheerwater, boobies, frigate birds, tropic bird. Lunch and talk on geology by Ramillies. Panga ride to cathedral and arch at Cerro Brujo - Darwin was on this beach. Lots of sealions and baby oystercatcher - wet landing. a long walk which was pleasant but hard going in the sand. Sunset and dinner with the couple from Oxted (again!) Watched Attenborough part 1. Sun 18th did not attempt 2kms over boulders to see albatross! The captain was very pleased to show us the bridge. Started reading Darwin's autobiography (to page 78) the library is good and I read parts of Voyage of the Beagle and other books by Browne. Down House takes on new meaning! Did a drawing of wildlife. Glass bottomed boat with Grace and saw sealions, angel fish, monkfish, starfish, swam at Gardner beach Isola Espanola and wet landing. Se...